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Danny
Ruler of the Missing Land of Zadah, The Breathing King, The Monarch of the Mad, The Head Loon, He of the Banana Peels, Lord of the Unwashed, Benevolent Beggar, Keeper of Sanity's Last Vestige, His Most Royal Majesty Danny the First Age: Unknown; though at a glance, Danny appears in his mid-thirties Affiliations: The Breathing, The Downtrodden, The Noble Courts of Azhahad Physical Description: With wispy brown hair that is just to one side of balding, His Most Royal Majesty Danny the First always has a thin lipped smile plastered on his face. He often is seen sharing food with other beggars in the streets of Azhahad, and it shows; he seems to give out more food than he himself eats. Skinny to the point of starved, The Monarch of the Mad is festooned in the discarded muddy tatters of what must have been an expensive red cloak, it's edges lined with white spotted fur. Underneath, he is wears a burlap sack, with holes for his head and arms, and tied off with a rope belt that - from the look of it - holds Danny up more than it holds anything else. Atop his head is a thin bronze bowl that has seen better days. It fits Danny's skull rather well, since something (or someone) has beaten it into the shape of a helmet, and then tied twine around and around it, holding together the cracks... and the banana peels. Replaced almost daily, the empty banana peels tied to The Head Loon's head make the battered and beaten bronze bowl look like a carefully cultivated crown of yellow and brown. Curiously, Danny is always clean shaven. But honestly, that's the cleanest thing about him. When his tight lipped smile splits apart into a full grin, people can see several teeth missing. Though it's a bit of an exaggeration to say that one can see the stench rising from He of the Banana Peels, it's not that much of an exaggeration. Other monarch walk into the room, and people bow out of respect. Danny walks into a room, and people bow in hope of finding fresh air to fill their lungs. One could breathe in the same room as the Monarch of the Mad... but upon Danny's arrival, most people suddenly understand that freedom of choice is a wonderful thing. And they choose to stand further away from him, if possible. Personality: As he does not eat much, or possibly because of the whispered rumors of his history, the Lord of the Unwashed seems a bit... off. An amicable enough fellow, he's always happy to meet new friends, and shake their hands. Not that many people want to shake the hands of someone who probably hasn't had a shower since it last rained. People would accuse Danny of not knowing where the bathhouses were, except he often makes the best money begging there. One whiff, and people are willing to pay almost everything in their purse for him to go inside. They would give him everything, but after coming so close to him, many people find they want to avail themselves of the bathhouses. Some of them, having caught His Most Royal Majesty Danny the First, as they were exiting, will go back in for a second time. It is this, more than anything, that likely keeps Danny from being removed from the premises. To his friends, of which there are surprisingly many, King Danny is a kind man, willing to share everything but his crown. He gives out more food than he eats, and while not an official street gang, beggars are left alone in Azhahad for one big reason: There is no physical differentiations between those that are known as the Downtrodden - the out of luck, the out of home, the poor of body or mind - and the Breathing. The Breathing are those whom have chosen the beggar's life. They are of all races, all sizes, and to a body, all are warriors. Whatever might have caused King Danny to rise up to the highest parts of the lowest people, many people are behind him, and follow the three laws of the Breathing: Protect the Downtrodden. Obey the will of the King. Keep Breathing. Many people cannot tell if Danny is crafty, or just insane and unpredictable. But he shows up where he's needed, even if he's not wanted. He's very slow to anger, but once he reaches that point, it's harder to stop his rage. Even without the backing of all of the Breathing, it's whispered that Danny himself is like a prize bull in a fight... he sees a target, and doesn't stop until it doesn't move. Thankfully, such anger is rare. Thieves know better to steal from the poor, street gangs have little interest in beggars who do them no wrong, and since Danny's history cannot be confirmed or denied, the Nobles of Azhahad are wary of laying hand upon the Downtrodden, for fear that King Danny might show up at their next gala, pleasantly pocketing food and shaking the hands of everyone there. History: Thousands of years ago, older even then Azhahad, there was the vast and sprawling island land of Zadah. One gigantic city, with buildings that towered over the next, Zadah was prosperous and - as the tales go - far ahead of it's time. Here, everyone lived in harmony and peace, and did so for generations. The secrets to their civilization, to their technology, their magic, and to the wonders they were able to produce have sadly been lost within the last hundreds of years. Not too long, for those who can remember the birth of Azhahad, but long enough that artifacts of the Zadah are now rare are much desired by collectors. There is, however, one such artifact - if you want to call him that - that collectors do not want. Several centuries after Zadah's disappearance, a curious little man appeared in Azhahad, claiming to be the missing country's Royal King, Danith the First. As the story goes, he met with some long lived dignitaries who confirmed his lineage, but he would not explain what happened to his country, nor where it had gone. Before leaving the house of the dignitaries, he muttered something about "Never send your Leader out for a loaf of bread". Since then - some two hundred years ago - Danny (as he likes to be called) has lived out on the streets of Azhahad. He's gathered a following of warriors that he's personally trained and helps to keep the city protected... in his own ambling way. While not completely safe to sleep outside, being poor isn't as terrible in Azhahad as it is in other cities. There are buildings run by the Breathing that dole out soup and bread to the needy, and shelters for the cold and rainy nights. The tired, the hungry, the sick... for the past few centuries, they have seemed to have sorted themselves out, as far as the nobility of Azhahad is concerned. And that's fine with Danny. While "renowned" is perhaps not the best word for the Breathing King, "respected" is adequate. When you have been around for as long as Danny has, people hear all kinds of stories. Some of them are rumors, some of them may be true. An officious nobleman who stepped on the foot of a beggar, and did not apologize? In the space of a single afternoon, he suddenly found his house had been moved to the other side of the street. A visiting prince of another land that thought of the Downtrodden as slaves? He was found gibbering madly in his room, trying to tear off his own nose. A lady of the night was found abused and murdered, and the Guard was clueless... until five men, badly beaten and bruised, came in and confessed to the whole thing, bringing in their own evidence, and asking for sanctuary from the streets. Truth or fiction? It was hard to tell. But everyone, from the lowliest beggar to the wealthiest crime lord, has heard some story of the Breathing King. These days, people are as kind as they can be to the less fortunate; The Monarch of the Mad is friendly, and very few people see a reason to find out if the title means that he rules over those whom are crazed... or if upsetting him would be foolish. Advantages: Status (1) - Lineage Royalty? Though some in the Azhahadian government would much loves to prove it untrue, there is enough evidence to suggest that Danny is the monarch of the missing island country of Zadah. Followers (2) - The Breathing King Leader of uncountable warriors who have chosen vows of poverty in order to protect those less fortunate. Strength (1) - It's Not Just the Smell! Possessed of a strength that belies his figure, Danny has been known to carry a cart's worth of food on his back. Charisma (1) - Ageless Long of Life There is one fact that people know about King Danith the First. He's been alive in the city longer than any normal human should have been. Some suspect he has the secret to immortality, some think him a kind of elf. Still others believe he has a strange supernatural power. Whatever the reason, Danny has not aged a day in several centuries. This means that, just by existing, he knows people, and knew their parents, and their parents before them. Along with this knowledge, Danny is an excellent speaker (for those that bother to listen), and if you look past the grime and the hints of malnutrition, Danny isn't bad to look at. But not many people are willing to do that.